Economy News – Baghdad

The Swiss Ambassador to Baghdad, Daniel Hahn, expressed his country’s desire to invest in Iraq, especially in the construction, health, and agriculture sectors, stressing the presence of major Swiss companies specializing in these fields.

This came during the reception of the Undersecretary of the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Political Planning Affairs, Ambassador Hisham Al-Alawi, today, Thursday, of the new Ambassador of the Swiss Confederation to Iraq, Daniel Hahn, to discuss a number of topics of common interest between the two countries.

A statement by the Iraqi Foreign Ministry stated that “the Undersecretary welcomed the reopening of the Swiss Embassy in Baghdad and the appointment of a resident ambassador,” expressing “his hope that this would contribute to strengthening bilateral relations and joint cooperation between the two countries.”

Al-Alawi reviewed with the Swiss ambassador the government’s plans and vision to encourage investment, build a diversified economy based on solid foundations, and rebuild infrastructure and services, according to the statement.

He pointed out during this to “approving a three-year financial budget, which contributed to the completion of a number of vital service and investment projects in the capital and other Iraqi governorates, and the imminent completion of other projects such as the Grand Faw Port, and the completion of the designs of the Development Road Project, which is one of the largest projects in the region, with the participation of Türkiye, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.”

Al-Alawi touched on the priorities of the government program of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the achievements it has made to strengthen Iraq’s relations with the international and regional community, and to activate Iraq’s role in international organizations such as the United Nations, and regional organizations such as the League of Arab States and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, according to the statement.

He pointed to “the economic cooperation between Iraq and some important European countries such as Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Italy, and the entry of major companies to invest in Iraq in various vital fields,” stressing “the government’s desire to revive the tourism sector and facilitate all necessary procedures for that.”

According to the statement, the two sides discussed ways of joint cooperation in the field of water diplomacy, and Iraq’s benefit from Swiss expertise in this field through the relevant institutions in Geneva, and developing joint work to activate the “Water for Peace and Development” initiative, which contributes to addressing pending water issues between Iraq and neighboring countries and mitigating the effects of global climate change.

The two sides also discussed encouraging major Swiss companies to invest in Iraq, as Hahn expressed his country’s desire to invest, especially in the construction, health, and agriculture sectors, noting the presence of major Swiss companies specializing in these fields, according to the statement.

According to the statement, the two sides agreed to work together to organize visits by senior officials from the two countries during the coming year.

The statement quoted the Swiss ambassador as expressing his desire to “arrange meetings with a number of Iraqi officials in the ministries of water resources, electricity, and migration and displacement,” while “the undersecretary expressed his readiness to cooperate in achieving these meetings,” according to the statement.

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Added 11/14/2024 – 9:49 PM